Don't Let Me Slip Through Your Fingers
by CriminalOutsider'sGirl14
Summary: After Pony passes out in the streets, it's up to Darry and Soda to nurse him back to health. The road back to consciousness isn't an easy one, but Darry and Soda won't let their little brother slip through their fingertips. (From the time Pony is out of the hospital, including conversations from the book)


**Don't Let Me Slip Through Your Fingertips**

 **Disclaimer: No, silly, I never have nor will I ever own The Outsiders. S.E. Hinton owns The Outsiders. *sighs* :( I simply borrow them for my own creative enjoyment purposes.**

 **Summary : **_After Pony passes out in the streets, it's up to Darry and Soda to nurse him back to health. The road back to consciousness isn't an easy one, but Darry and Soda won't let their little brother slip through their fingertips. (From the time Pony is out of the hospital, including conversations from the book)_

 **A/N: I don't have a quote for this one. It's simply Sodapop and Darry's POV for when Ponyboy was delirious, but after the events of Knock, Knock.**

 *****Ponyboy passed out on a Saturday. In the events of Knock, Knock he came home early Sunday morning, and Two-Bir showed up that night. This story takes place Monday mid-day to Tuesday morning.**

 **~ September. Monday, 1966 ~ 1:03 p.m.**

 **Sodapop**

Soda's head fell forward, his eyes fluttering with exhaustion. The past day's events were weighing heavily on the seventeen year old, and a week with no sleep was beginning to take it's toll. Despite all of his efforts to stay awake, Sodapop was softly snoring in his dad's worn out chair that Darry had dragged to the foot of his and Ponyboy's bed. But for that day it was just Ponyboy's bed, and Soda had taken his place at the edge of Ponyboy's bed while Darry sat near the side of the auburn haired greaser's bed, watching over him.

The sound of Ponyboy moving sent Soda's head jerking up, but Pony was still fast asleep. He noticed that Darry had disappeared from the room, but after a moment the sound of the bathroom door clicking shut gave away Darry's position.

"Soda?" Ponyboy whispered suddenly, his voice dry and weak. Sodapop sat up straight, preparing for one of two things: for Pony to be lucid, like Soda was begging for him to be, or two, to comfort and try to calm down a delirious, but agitated Pony.

"Is somebody sick?"

Sodapop paused carefully. But the look that Pony gave him was so innocent that he finally answered,

"Yeah. Somebody's sick. Go back to sleep now."

Pony looked at Soda quizzically. "Am I sick?"

"Yeah, you're sick. Now be quiet," Soda shushed him. But Pony didn't listen.

"Is Darry sorry I'm sick?"

Soda felt his stomach give a weird turn. Softly, he answered, "yeah, he's sorry you're sick. Now please shut up, will ya, honey? Go back to sleep."

 _Why wouldn't Darry be sorry_? Soda wondered, but he couldn't ask.

Within seconds, Ponyboy's breathing evened out and his eyes slipped shut. As Pony fell back asleep Darry slipped through the open bedroom door, carefully and quietly.

"Was he awake, Soda?" Darry whispered.

"Yeah, but he wasn't right. He asked if someone was sick," Soda responded, disappointment filling his voice. Darry looked disappointed too, his shoulders slumped as he carefully tip-toed back to his chair. For the first time Soda realized how old Darry looked, and how tired he looked.

"How about you get some sleep, Dar. You look exhausted."

Darry softly snorted humorlessly. "How about you, Soda? You planning on making those bags under your eyes a new fashion style, huh?"

"Hardy har. I'm serious. If you promise to go to bed and get some sleep, in a few hours I will too," Soda reasoned. Darry let out a long deep breath, looking unhappy, but he began to walk towards his room anyway.

Relieved, Soda laid back against the chair and looked up at the ceiling. Out of sheer boredom, he began counting the number of book Pony had in the bookshelf. After he got to twenty, he got bored again and decided to make himself a sandwich as he waited for Darry to wake up. He kept a close eye on Pony through the open bedroom door; if his little brother was going to wake up again he didn't want to miss it. He kept thinking if he didn't keep a close enough eye on him, he might disappear like last time, and slip right through his fingertips.

 ** _Darry_**

Darry knew right away that even if he tried he wouldn't have been able to fall asleep. So, after a little over half an hour of pointless tossing and turning, Darry finally gave up and tiredly walked back to Ponyboy's room.

"Do you want anything to eat, Soda?" Darry whispered. Soda glanced up at him and nodded wordlessly. Deciding on two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, he began to bring out the strawberry jelly for Soda and the grape for himself, along with the peanut butter and white bread. As he made the sandwiches, he kept looking back at Pony, as if remembering that he was really home.

"Why don't we eat out in the kitchen, Soda?" Darry suggested as he walked the two sandwiches into the small bedroom. Soda looked up from where he was staring at a spot on his and Ponyboy's bed, giving Darry a look that suggested the idea was ludicrous, but he surprised Darry by nodding.

"Sure. That's fine," Sodapop mumbled tiredly. Darry made a mental note to force him to bed after they ate before he fell asleep standing up and hurt himself.

They choked down their sandwiches in silence, neither one of them really having an appetite, but both of them knew that they needed to eat at least something. Soda rushed, attempting to scarf down his sandwich in record time so that he could be back with his little brother.

"Soda, slow down. He's just going to lay there, you don't need to be hurrying," Darry explained, but as soon as he finished his last word a scream erupted throughout the house, chilling both brothers to the core.

"Darry! Soda! No, please don't take him. Johnny, no, please don't! He didn't mean to do it...I swear, he didn't- he didn't mean to do it... Please don't take him!" Ponyboy cried, his voice fading as he continued his anguished mumblings. His eyes were tightly squeezed shut, but he kept writhing around in bed, sweat covering his forehead. Darry helped hold Ponyboy's arms down so he wouldn't hurt himself or anyone else while Soda calmed him down gently, rubbing his hair and whispering soothing words in his ear until Ponyboy was out cold again.

"You think he's okay now?" Soda asked, looking inside as he stared down at Pony. Darry nodded soberly, his face unreadable.

"He's alright. You're turn to sleep some, alright, Soda? You're exhausted. I'll watch over Pony," Darry instructed.

"But-"

"No buts. I'm serious, Pepsi-Cola. Go. To. Bed."

"Alright," Soda sighed. "Wake me up if Pony does, okay?"

"Sure thing. As long as you actually sleep."

"Deal," Soda agreed.

 **OoOoOoO**

After two hours of Darry watching Pony like a hawk, his tired body caught up with him and he fell fast asleep in his dad's arm chair, only to be woken up by Ponyboy shaking his knee gently.

"Hey, Darry," Ponyboy whispered as he shook Darry's leg. "Hey, Darry, wake up."

Darry jumped up, his eyes widening as he saw Ponyboy awake. "Ponyboy, you okay?" He drawled, concern filling his voice.

"Yeah, I think so," Pony replied. He looked unsure, but lucid enough to be aware and the familiar sight and sound of his brother talking and being consciousness was music to Darry's ears.

"Gosh, kid, you had us scared to death," Darry finally sighed, relief flooding his voice.

"What was the matter with me?" And as Ponyboy said that, Darry had a sickening realization. He didn't remember what had happened. And as selfish as it was he prayed that Soda would tell Pony about Johnny if he didn't remember. He wasn't sure if he could handle telling his kid brother that. Telling him about their parents was enough, he wouldn't go through that again...

Finally, Darry answered through the lump in his throat, "I told you you were in no condition for a rumble. Exhaustion, shock, minor concussion, and Two-Bit came blubbering over here with some take that you were running a fever before the rumble and that it was all his fault you were sick. He was pretty torn up that night... We all were," Darry said the last sentence quietly, hoping that Pony would understand.

A few seconds passed, and Pony didn't seem to have any sudden regulations. "Where'd I get a concussion? How long have I been asleep?"

"You got a concussion from getting kicked in the head- Soda saw it. He landed all over that Soc. I've never seen him so mad. I think he could have whipped anyone in the state he was in. Today's Tuesday, and you've been asleep and delirious since Saturday night. Don't you remember?"

 _Please remember, Pony. Just remember what happened._

"No... Darry, I'm not ever gonna be able to make up the school I've missed. And I've still got to go to court and talk to the police about Bob getting killed. And now-" Ponyboy took a breath. "With Dally...Darry, do you think they'll split us up? Put me in a home or something?"

Darry looked down. He didn't want to think about that. Not after everything they had all been through. "I don't know, baby. I just don't know."

 ** _Sodapop_**

Soda woke up to the sound of Darry talking quietly with someone, but he couldn't place who it was. It took his exhausted mind a few seconds to realize the only person Darry could be talking to was Ponyboy.

He jumped out of bed excitedly, and then basically hurled himself at Ponyboy. Darry caught him by the shoulder, stopping him mid-dive.

"No rough stuff, little buddy."

Instead, Soda sat down on the side of his and Pony's bed and bounced, pounding happily on his shoulder. He couldn't believe that his little brother was actually awake!

"Gosh, but you were sick. You feel okay now?" Soda asked.

"I'm okay. Just a little hungry," Ponyboy replied. Darry stood up, patting his littlest brother's shoulder.

"I should think you would be. You wouldn't eat anything while you were sick. How'd you like some mushroom soup?"

"Man, I'd like that just fine," Pony said, and Darry could have jumped for joy about how normal he sounded. He set a pan out and poured the soup in, turning the heat up to six, but by time the soup was finished Soda and Pony were asleep on their beds in their rightful places like they should be.

Darry knew right then that they could handle whatever came at them next. He wouldn't let his little brothers slip through his fingers ever again.

"I love you two," Darry whispered as he headed towards his own bedroom to take about a three year nap.

 **A/N: I'm sorry that this took so long! I had to get my hands back on the novel to make sure I was quoting everything accurately. This was probably my worst one of them all, in my opinion, but I hope it's not. Does anyone have any suggestions/request on one I should do next? I'm starting to run out...**

 **Thank you so much for reading! I hope that you enjoyed this little story!**

 **P.S. Only second time EVER that a story has been this long (over two thousand words) (I think I'm on a roll.) :)**

 **Stay Gold lovelies,**

 **~ Alee XxX**


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